Former Binance US CEO Brian Brooks Joins Crypto Asset Manager Hashdex

Brian Brooks is dipping his toe into crypto once again—and has joined the board of crypto-focused asset manager Hashdex.

It comes almost two years after the executive abruptly stepped down as Binance.US CEO just four months into the job—citing “differences over strategic direction.”

His ill-fated stint in the role wasn’t mentioned in Hashdex’s news release, which instead decided to focus on his time as Coinbase’s chief legal officer, and acting U.S. Comptroller of the Currency.

Brooks has most recently served as a partner in Valor Capital Group, which has invested in Hashdex. As well as acting as Valor’s representative on the board, the entrepreneur is set to provide counsel on global regulation “to accelerate Hashdex’s continued growth in global markets”—and help institutional investors securely gain exposure to digital assets.

He will also be tasked with bridging the gap between the crypto ecosystem and traditional finance—at a time when U.S. regulators are embarking on a brutal clampdown. Just this week, Ritchie Torres, the New York Democrat Congressman openly accused Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Gary Gensler of being “intent on sabotaging the industry.”

In a news release, Hashdex co-founder Marcelo Sampaio said Brooks’ “proven ability to push forward thoughtful, innovation-driven public is much needed at this time.”

“Brian’s extensive experience as a leader in financial regulation and the crypto industry will help Hashdex meet our core mission of giving investors simple and secure access to the developing crypto ecosystem,” he added.

Despite the recent market turmoil, Brooks was quoted as saying that “cryptoassets are changing the economics of nearly every industry across the globe.”

Hashdex is based in Brazil—and hit headlines when it received approval to launch the first cryptocurrency exchange-traded fund (ETF) in Latin America.

The battle for a spot Bitcoin ETF in the U.S. continues, but Hashdex’s CIO Samir Kerbage recently pointed to BlackRock’s filing with the SEC as a bullish development.

“The adoption of crypto assets has been steadily accelerating over the last few years—a secular trend that continues,” he wrote in a blog on the asset manager’s website.

Hashdex will be hoping that Brooks’ arrival adds to this momentum.